‘F***ing Insane,’ ‘Idiotic’ for Bill de Blasio to Run in 2020, Friends & Allies Say

The Democrats who know him best are not shy about calling him stubborn, arrogant, and insufferable.

By NTK Staff | 03.11.2019 @10:27am

Former aides and friends are coming out of the woodwork to tell Politico reporter Laura Nahmias that New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio should not run for president in 2020, according to a new story published Monday.

The reasoning behind those statements ranges from polite to downright insulting, but no matter the language, the message is the same: he shouldn’t do it.

A few skeptics in de Blasio’s orbit have gone public. “I believe Bill de Blasio has 100 percent the right message; I’m just not so sure he’s the right messenger,” the mayor’s former campaign and City Hall advisor, Rebecca Katz, said recently on a

Behind the scenes, others are more blunt.

The idea of a de Blasio candidacy is “f—ing insane,” said one former aide, laughing out loud.

Another self-described friend of the mayor called the idea “idiotic.”

Still, de Blasio has traveled to Iowa and South Carolina in recent weeks, and he chalks up most of the doubt to people underestimating him.

“I assure you I had a lot of folks who were friends and allies warmly put their arm around my shoulder and tell me what a crazy idea it was to run for Public Advocate, what a crazy idea it was to run for mayor,” he told Politico.

Still, it’s hard to argue with the avalanche of people willing to share with the press their disdain for him:

“The empirical measurements of the city are good, but he can’t get off the ground because nobody likes the guy,” one former City Hall aide said. “He is stubborn about doing things that he feels entitled to do, but don’t do him any favors politically and don’t make a lot of sense.”

Democratic political consultant Phil Singer said his “personality is not endearing.”

“There’s a little bit of self-righteousness about him that thus far hasn’t translated into a groundswell of support for a federal candidacy,” Singer said.

Many former staffers, according to Politico, use the word “arrogant” to describe de Blasio, while Clinton ally Neera Tanden described him as “a bit insufferable.”

Given that these criticisms are being lobbed by the Democrats who know him best, it’s hard to imagine de Blasio launching a presidential bid any time soon.